Craig And Lindsay Foreman Lose Appeal Against 10-Year Iran Prison Sentences

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a British couple jailed in Iran on espionage charges they deny, have lost their appeal against their 10-year prison sentences, their family said Tuesday.

“UK couple imprisoned in Iran lose appeal against 10-year sentence for spying A British couple jailed in Iran on spying charges have lost an appeal against their convictions LONDON -- A British couple jailed in Iran on spying allegations have lost an appeal against their convictions, their family and the U”

ABC News

The family said the appeal was conducted without their knowledge and that they were not permitted to attend the hearing, with Joe Bennett saying, “They were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing.”

ABC News

Bennett added that the couple had been asked to sign documents in Farsi that they could not read, and he said, “We don’t know if they received a proper account of what was argued on their behalf.”

The case has now been referred to Iran’s Supreme Court, while the family said the process and timeline remained unclear and that the couple were effectively without legal representation.

The family said Craig Foreman is on day 25 of a hunger strike and Lindsay Foreman is on day 16 of hers at Tehran’s Evin prison, and it said all communication between them has been cut off by Iranian authorities.

Joe Bennett said he met officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Monday but left without “clarity on what pressure is being applied to Tehran,” while the couple’s family said they did not understand the process or timeline.

Al-Bayader

The U.K. Foreign Office said it was “disappointed by the appeal decision and will continue working to ensure that Craig and Lindsay are returned safely to the UK,” and it said the ambassador to Tehran and diplomats in London have been working to provide consular assistance.

The Foreign Office statement also said the ambassador visited them in prison and facilitated calls with their family back in the U.K., and it warned British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a “significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention.”

The family said the couple’s case has now passed to the supreme court, but it said it did not understand the process, the timeline, or what, if anything, will be submitted in their name.

DW reported that Lindsey and Craig Forman were sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of espionage, and it said the news was announced by the couple’s family.

DW also said the couple were detained in early 2025 during a motorcycle trip to Iran, that they were held in Evin Prison, and that Jo Bennett had warned their conditions had deteriorated significantly compared with before.

In the same reporting, DW said the Islamic Republic claims the couple traveled to Iran in 2025 under the guise of tourists with intent of espionage, while the couple’s family said they consistently denied the charges and maintained their innocence.